Panaji, June 24 (IANS): Under pressure from the Congress over the ailing health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, the ruling BJP in Goa on Saturday reinforced its faith in the former Defence Minister's leadership, saying the BJP leader was fully fit and handling the state administration efficiently.

"The Congress has no right to criticise the Chief Minister, who during his treatment stint in the US and after his return to Goa had been handling the state administration with efficiency. The Chief Minister is also actively pursuing critical matters related to Goa, including working on resolving the mining crisis," state Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Sadanand Shet Tanavade told a press conference here.

On Friday, state Congress President Girish Chodankar had alleged that the BJP, by pushing Parrikar to work despite his illness, was "driving the Chief Minister to suicide".

The criticism followed Parrikar's return to Goa last week, after undergoing treatment in a top US hospital for nearly three months for pancreatic cancer.

Tanavade also said the Chief Minister had already started conducting a string of meetings with officials of the state administration as well as ruling legislators and ministers in order to ensure "smooth administration and governance" in the coastal state.